Live Sound Vocal Compression

When used correctly compression is a key ingredient for vocals that sound professional modern and radio ready.

Live sound vocal compression.

Many bloggers will tell you what the perfect vocal compression settings are. There are no magic settings that work 100 of the time. The processor is ideal for use in practices and live performances. If the vocal s volume drops down then adjust the makeup gain input.

And i don t want to mislead you. This is a fine way to start with a comp on vocals and will let you actually hear much of whats happening as you dial it in and hear the way the compressor works with the voice. But the truth is it s not that easy. By bypassing and applying the compressor get the input gain same as without the compressor.

Lead vocals some recording engineers think compression is a must for vocals. For a vocal starting point set your threshold to 0db or 2db and a ratio of either 1 5 1 or 2 1. Now without soloing the vocal slowly turn down the threshold knob to adjust the amount of compression on the vocal. It evens out the often erratic levels that a singer can produce and tames transients that can cause digital distortion.

There is no one size fits all formula to vocal compression. You can use compression on vocals to just even out the performance and to create an effect. I wish i could do that too. Sure it s fun to roll off some of the top end on your hall reverb but don t let that distract you from the things that actually need attention.

The lead vocals should be the center of your attention. We would recommend this to a hobbyist singer songwriter musician. Compression your best friend and your worst enemy. Live sound is largely correcting problems with subtractive eq.

You can set the attack release to auto or go to 12 o clock on either one. Heck it d certainly save me a few keystrokes. This pedal s primary function is to help a singer control vocal dynamics and tone.